Between secularization and religiosity : the dynamics of Protestant theology

In Protestantism the notion of faith is a core category. It expresses a specific and dynamic relationship between God and the human world. In the development of modern Protestant theology, processes of subjectivism and secularization, especially in the West-European context, have shaped the concept of faith. Since Protestant theology is increasingly influenced by globalization, the urgent task is to maintain a dialectical balance between: (1) the appreciation of personal involvement and human subjectivity in the life of faith, (2) the emphasis on the divine priority and initiative in the salvation process. The Protestant identity is at stake.

Schelling's notion of the essence of Christianity according to his lectures on scientific methodology

This article focuses on Schelling's lectures on scientific methodology, published in 1802. In these Vorlesungen Schelling developed his theory about the essence of Christianity against the background of a "philosopy of identity". The article consists of three sections which investigate Schelling's understanding of Christianity's historical position in the academia. Theology as the science of Christian religion constitutes the essence of Christianity. The article aims to argue that Schelling's understanding of theology as theobject matter of philosophy should be seen in light of his view on Christianity's historical position.

Early Christian writings provide little information about the Jesus movement in Galilee, but the study of the pre-Synoptic-, and especially the pre-Markan collections, can shed some light on this important period of the beginnings of Christianity. This essay starts by reconstructing the pre-Markan collection of Galilean controversies (Mk 2:1-3:6) and argues that its composition could have taken place in Galilee. These controversies reflect a process of construction of group identity whose main traits can be identified with the aid of social identity and cultural memory studies. This process can also be placed in the historical context of the emergence of sectarian groups within Second Temple Judaism. The contention of this enquiry is that the pre-Markan collection of the Galilean controversies can provide valuable information about the first disciples of Jesus in Galilee.

Kloppenborg's reading of the parable of the tenants (Mk 12:1-12/GThom 65) can be regarded as the first thoroughgoing realistic interpretation of the Tenants. By using extensive literary evidence on viticulture from 300 BCE to 300 CE, Kloppenborg argues that GThom 65 most probably comes closest to the original form of the parable, calling into question important values of first-century Mediterranean culture. Following a summary of Kloppenborg's reading of the parable of the tenants, the second part of the article focuses on a social-scientific reading of GThom 65 through the lens of patronage and clientism and that of honor and shame. Finally, the conclusions reached by the social-scientific reading are compared with Kloppenborg's realistic reading thereof.

By comparing the historical recalibration of the myth of the Mother of the Gods in Athens with the scholarly construction of the mysteries in nineteenth and twentieth century religio-historical scholarship, this essay argues that just as primary practitioners of religious discourse engage in religious mythmaking, so too do scholars of religion. Both the practice of religion and scholarship on religion subsist in the political domain of social discourse and mythmaking. However, the two kinds of mythmaking are not simply identical. It is the distance to the discourse afforded the scholar that enables scholarship as politically committed denaturalisation, or historicisation, of religious tradition and reflexive scholarship.

The prominence of Romans 1:18-32 in the gay-debate is the subject of various and wide-ranging opinions as far as the most adequate interpretation of this passage. This contribution puts the debate about the text into perspective by surveying some recent alternative opinions on its meaning. It is established that two particular matters are most important in Romans 1:18-32 and the past and current debate on its interpretation: the argument according to "nature" and the nature of the infringement or error (Rm 1:27).

This article contributes to the fundamental rethinking of New Testament scholarship being undertaken by New Testament scholars attached to the University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa. The thrust of the article holds that the historical Jesus research is of the utmost importance and it puts the emphasis on the individuality of an event and the contribution of nineteenth century reflection on history. As point of departure and further elaboration it accentuates the notion that history writing must be a form of homecoming.

The article describes a theological paradigm shift taking place in congregations in South Africa that empower them to become involved in development work as a way of serving their neighbor. It also opens the possibility of working interdisciplinary without compromising theological and faith values. The perspectives and assumptions of the new paradigm are outlined and the basic methodology of doing theology is described. The new paradigm is a missional one, taking the focus on God as its point of departure and describing the identity and purpose of the church by looking at God's identity and plan or mission with creation and humankind. Social development is seen as being in line with God's mission and as such the church should not have difficulty in working with those who pursue the same goals.

The question of methodology remains important in dealing with biblical texts, given the fact that the Hebrew Bible is not an uncomplicated book. Its meaning is embedded in the history of the people who wrote it, read it, passed it on, rewrote it, and read it again. The question addressed in this article is in which manner should exegetes analyze texts? Which methodology should be followed during the exegetical process? What would be the most appropriate method to do justice to the texts of the Hebrew Bible? In both South African and European exegetical arena this debate is still continuing and over the past decades several contributions have kept it alive. The aim of this article is to make a contribution to this ongoing debate. It focuses primarily on Psalms and Pentateuchal studies. The call is made upon exegetes to pursue a diachronically reflected synchronic reading.

Partnership in mission came to be a byword for developing missionary relationships during the twentieth century. During this time its meaning and practice changed, often imperceptibly. This is seen in the regular conferences of the International Missionary Conference and its successors which had their origin in the International Missionary Conference held in Edinburgh, 1910. A further problem was making the concept a reality in relationships despite great disparities in resources. This has given rise to the negative critique of the slogan as empty and meaningless.

Ethics and theology - a discussion of the relevance of Marinus Schoeman's book : "generosity and the art of living" the basics of a post-Nietzschean ethics

This article grew from a review on Schoeman's book to a review article in which an actual presentation is given of some of the most important issues in comparison to a Christian viewpoint. The following topics are discussed: Resentment; Revaluation of all values; Purpose driven universe; Critique of moral values; The aristocrat; Hannah Arendt's view on the public political realm and private sphere; Plurality and conformity.

This article investigates how Judeans responded to Hellenism in order to maintain the integrity of their ethnic identity. Judeanism and Hellenism are regarded as alternative "symbolic universes". It is shown that Judeans used various approaches to maintain their symbolic universe. This included Berger and Luckmann's notions of theology, nihilation and therapy, but also accommodation, adaptation, appropriation of Hellenistic elements, collective opposition (or ethnicism) and a reinforcement of primordial sentiments.

Social-scientific critical exegesis of New Testament texts - an ongoing debate without end

The aim of this article is to describe the multifarious facets of social-scientific critical exegesis. It consists of a discussion of the theoretical epistemological premises behind anthropological models employed in the exegesis of Biblical tests. The article focuses in the second instance on work published by members of the Context Group. It subsequently discusses the socio-rhetorical approach and ideology criticism. The article concludes with the contribution made by hermeneutics of suspicion and cultural criticism. The article forms the third in a series of three that aims to introduce social-scientific critical exegesis of New Testament texts. The first article was of an introductory nature, the second explains some models and methods and the third discusses the critique against the approach as if it reflects positivism and concludes with an emphasis on cultural criticism as a hermeneutical challenge.

A group of people within the Johannine community (2:18) contributed towards destroying the koinwniva (fellowship) of this community. Because 1 and 2 John do not provide direct evidence of the identities of the community's heretically inclined members, they are defined in different ways by different scholars. A search for socio-religious circumstances which contribute towards determining the opponents and adherents of the author which created the agenda for the reconstruction of the phenomena that caused this schism. The nature of the schism comprises "Pneumatological," "Christological" and "ethical" issues encoded in the polemical language of slogans, dialectic discourse, confessions and denials. The schism in 1 John proves to be a matter of different interpretations of a shared tradition.

The purpose of this article is to outline certain options and struggles, which gave rise to postcolonial theory. The author deals with various experiences of anti-slavery and anti-colonial movements in Western and tricontinental countries, comprising the development of postcolonial theory. It is argued that postcolonial theory provides a means of defiance by which any exploitative and discriminative practices, regardless of time and space, can be challenged. The article consists of a section in which terminology is clarified, secondly a discussion of the elements that functioned as justification of the formation of postcolonial theory, namely a humanitarian, economic, political, and religious justification. The role of feminism and anti-colonialism is discussed in the third instance, followed by a reflection on the concept "hybrid identities".

While it is relatively easy for most people to identify human beings suffering from poverty, it is rather more difficult to come to a proper understanding of poverty. In this article the author wants to deepen our understanding of poverty by interpreting the conventional definitions of poverty in a new light. The article starts with a defence of a claim that poverty is a concept uniquely applicable to humans. It then present a critical discussion of the distinction between absolute and relative poverty and it is then argued that a revision of this distinction can provide general standards applicable to humans everywhere.

The formularies used for consecrating marriages in the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church reflect this church's view on matrimony. As the biblical bases of the formularies are deficient, new ways of exploring biblical information on this subject should be followed. This article proposes that data on marriage in the Bible always be used in conjunction with other concepts to form theological constructs to outline who God is and who his people are. It is always intended to be an identity marker to the members of the church. In the three Genesis cycles of Genesis 11:10-25:11; 25:12-35:29 and 36:1-50:26 heirship, marriage and land are used in an integrated construct to indicate the identity of the post-exilic community in Yehud. In the penitential prayers of Ezra 9:6-15 and Nehemia 9:5b-37 the concepts law, land and marriage are jointly used to depict the identity of the "real" Israel. The conclusion drawn from this investigation is that the Bible does not present models for marriage, but rather theological constructs to understand the relationship with the Lord in metaphorical terms and to reflect on the meaning of everyday life of that relationship including matrimony under ever changing social circumstances.

Because of the important role language, imagery and metaphors plays in the lives of human beings, it is necessary to explore the origins and implications of metaphors that could be potentially harmful to the quality of women's lives. The metaphor that is the focus of this article, is that of "the church as bride". This metaphor is an example of how metaphors and language have an impact on women's self-understanding and subject quality of their lives. It is an example of how patriarchal structures, culture and language affect the lives of women. In a follow-up article the way in which this metaphor is used in the marriage formulary of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church of Africa is investigated. This formulary is specifically based on Ephesians 5:21-33 in which the metaphor of "the church as bride" is found.

A feminist narrative pastoral perspective on the marriage formularies of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church

This article is the second which focuses on the metaphor "the church as bride". Its aim is to demystify this metaphor's use in the marriage formulary of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church of Africa from the perspective of an ideological-critical analysis of the formulary. This formulary is specifically based on Ephesians 5:21-33 and Hosea 1 and 2 as "intertext". In light of a narrative pastoral model within the context of feminist hermeneutics the article argues that the patriarchal ideology behind the metaphor constitutes the wording of the formulary and that this ideology contributes to negative experiences of women in marriage relationships.

This article reflects on the use of a hand puppet (Billy Bear) in narrative therapeutic conversations with a five year old girl (pseudonym Lisa) who has been diagnosed with leukaemia (blood cancer). The first part of this article discusses the concept "garden" as a guiding metaphor in this study. It is followed by a section on the narrative therapeutic framework of this project. The next section deals with the young cancer patient's "life garden", including the physical, social and emotional development of Lisa as a preschooler in a therapeutic context, as well as leukaemia, which is depicted as a "change in season". The last main section focuses on the hand puppet that speaks the young cancer patient's language. The article concludes with a section on the question whether Lisa still has a dream in view of the uncertainty of her condition as a cancer patient.